Simulation Tools for Optimizing the Electrode Geometry of an In-Plane Unimorph Piezoelectric Microactuator
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Abstract
This resource is intended to help piezoelectric unimorph designers in determining the ideal electrode width ratio for a given layer thickness. The reasoning behind the simulations and results are shown in a publication titled "Optimizing the Electrode Geometry of an In-Plane Unimorph Piezoelectric Microactuator for Maximum Deflection". The simulations that were performed in the paper were conducted in COMSOL Multiphysics software. The simulations were compiled to a stand-alone executable file so that anyone without a COMSOL license is able to run these simulations on their own hardware. Please select the file version that matches your operating system: Windows, MacOS, or Linux. The executable files for the simulations are included in the "Supporting Documents" section of this resource.
The Matlab .m script "unimorph_optimal_welec" can be used to determine the optimal electrode width given an specific overall width and height. To use this function, in the command window, type "welec = unimorph_optimal_welec(w, h)" where w is your total width and h is your total height.
The operating system requirements for the COMSOL standalone apps are as follows:
Windows:
- Windows® 10
- Windows® 10 Pro for Workstations
- Windows® 8.1
- Windows® 7 SP1
- Windows Server® 2019
- Windows Server® 2016
- Windows Server® 2012 R2
- Windows Server® 2012
- Windows Server® 2008 R2 SP1
- Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 SP1
MacOS:
- macOS 10.13
- macOS 10.14
- macOS 10.15
Linux:
- Debian® 8, 9, and 10
- Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 7.7 and 8.0
- CentOS 7.7 and 8.0
- Ubuntu® 16.04 and 18.04
- SUSE® Linux Enterprise Desktop® 15 SP1
- OpenSUSE® Leap 15.0 and 15.1
- Oracle® Linux 8.2
The apps will be updated for newer versions of the operating systems as access becomes available.
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